Tornado Observation and Research Crew

Posted by: tornadodude, 11:30 PM GMT on November 15, 2010

5 years ago, on this date, an EF3 tornado tore through my county, causing major damage.

The tornado destroyed at least 64 homes and damaged at least 70 more along the US 150 corridor in Washington, Cannelburg and Loogootee. Up to 200 employees were trapped at K&K Industries in Montgomery, but they were all accounted for.

The path of the tornado was 12 miles long, and it was 3/4 mile wide in some spots. Surprisingly, no one was critically injured or killed from this tornado.

SPC AC 151950

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0150 PM CST TUE NOV 15 2005

VALID 152000Z - 161200Z

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS TO THE RIGHT OF A LINE FROM POF 20
NW SLO 20 WNW DNV 40 SSE SBN 35 ENE FWA 30 SSE DAY 30 SE BWG 15 E
MSL 40 SSW CBM 30 SSE GLH PBF POF.

THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS TO THE RIGHT OF A LINE FROM BLV 30
NE BMI 20 S CGX 20 NE BEH 20 E FNT 35 NE CLE 40 WSW UNI 35 NE HSV 25
ENE MEI 10 SE PIB 40 SSW PIB 40 NNW BTR 30 NE IER 10 ESE ELD 20 N
ARG BLV.

THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS TO THE RIGHT OF A LINE FROM 55 NW
ROC LBE BLF LGC 30 SE MOB 40 SW BVE ...CONT... 30 S GLS 30 NNW PSX
55 SSW CLL 15 SSE CLL 10 NW LFK 15 E SHV LIT SPI 25 WNW MMO 30 E JVL
10 ENE MBL 65 E APN.

GEN TSTMS ARE FCST TO THE RIGHT OF A LINE FROM 25 NW LRD 35 NNW LFK
30 SSE TXK 30 WSW BVX 20 WNW SPI 35 NW BRL 10 ESE VOK 40 SSW ESC 35
NNW PLN 15 E ANJ ...CONT... 50 NNE ROC 50 E BFD HGR 20 S DCA 35 S
NHK 25 ENE EWN 10 NNE ILM FLO CAE 40 WSW AGS 35 ENE ABY 35 SSE AAF.

...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF ERN AR...NRN
MS...WRN TN...SERN MO...SRN IL...IN...SWRN OH AND WRN KY...

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE LOWER GREAT LAKES AREA
SWWD TO THE LOWER MS VALLEY...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM LOWER MI AND THE WRN
SLOPES OF THE APPALACHIANS TO THE WRN GULF COAST...

...E TX/LWR MS VLY NEWD INTO OH VLY/LWR GRT LKS...
SURFACE LOW WAS LOCATED NEAR STL AT 19Z AND MODELS ARE CONSISTENT IN
DEEPENING AND LIFTING THIS SYSTEM RAPIDLY NEWD TO NEAR CHI BY
00Z...AND THEN INTO SRN ONTARIO BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A WARM
FRONT EXTENDS EWD FROM THE LOW ACROSS SRN IL/IN INTO OH AND WILL
LIFT NWD TONIGHT...WHILE A TRAILING COLD FRONT...FROM ERN MO SWWD
INTO ERN/SRN TX...RACES EWD THROUGH THE OHIO/TN AND LOWER MS
VALLEYS.

IN THE WARM SECTOR...A RELATIVELY WARM AND MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER IS
PRESENT WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S AND DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S
TO MID 60S. AN INTENSE SHORTWAVE TROUGH NEAR THE KS/OK BORDER IS
FORECAST TO MOVE NEWD INTO MO THIS EVENING...ACCOMPANIED BY A 110
KT MID LEVEL JET MAX. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE UPPER TROUGH TO BECOME
NEGATIVELY TITLED AND STRENGTHEN THE UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE ACROSS
THE MODERATE AND HIGH RISK AREAS. SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS...SOME
TORNADIC...WERE ONGOING FROM ERN MO/IL SWWD INTO THE LOWER MS VALLEY
AND SHOULD STRENGTHEN THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH ADDITIONAL DIABATIC
HEATING AND THE STRENGTHENING DIFFLUENCE ALOFT. VERY STRONG DEEP
LAYER SHEAR AND MLCAPES FROM 1000-1500 J/KG SHOULD FAVOR NUMEROUS
SUPERCELLS WELL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER
AND 1KM SHEAR FROM 25-40 KT INDICATES TORNADOES ARE ALSO
LIKELY...ESPECIALLY FROM NERN AR/WRN TN NEWD INTO THE OH VALLEY THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE STRENGTH OF THE FORCING/ENVIRONMENTAL
WINDS...THE QUALITY OF THE BOUNDARY AND VERY STRONG PRESSURE
FALLS...SUGGEST THAT LONG TRACK AND STRONG TORNADOES ARE ALSO LIKELY
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...REFER TO TORNADO
WATCHES...864...865...866 AND 867.

AS THE LOW LIFTS NWD THIS EVENING...THE WARM SECTOR WILL SPREAD INTO
THE NRN HALF OF THE OH VALLEY AND LOWER GREAT LAKES AREA...WITH A
CONTINUED THREAT FOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS.

OTHER POTENTIALLY TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT ALONG PREFRONTAL CONFLUENCE BANDS AHEAD OF THE COLD
FRONT ACROSS SERN TX/LA/ERN AR AND MS. LONG AND SLIGHTLY CURVED
HODOGRAPHS PLUS LACK OF STRONG LINEAR ASCENT MAY ALSO RESULT IN
SUPERCELLS WITH LONG TRACK TORNADOES. ENVIRONMENT SHOULD ALSO
SUPPORT SMALL SCALE LEWPS/BOWS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL.

WHILE THE MS/OH VLY STORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY CONSOLIDATE INTO
SEVERAL BROKEN SEGMENTS/SQUALL LINES WITH EMBEDDED LEWPS/BOWS
TONIGHT...STRENGTH OF SHEAR AND FORCING SUGGEST THE STORMS MAY
REMAIN SOMEWHAT DISCRETE. AS A RESULT...DAMAGING WINDS ALONG WITH
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL REACH AS FAR EAST AS THE UPR OH VLY AND THE
WRN SLOPES OF THE CNTRL APPALACHIANS BY 12Z WEDNESDAY.

..IMY.. 11/15/2005

...NOTICE...
THE STATION RELATIVE POINTS IN THIS PRODUCT ARE NOW AVAILABLE
SEPARATELY UNDER THE WMO HEADINGS WUUS01 PTSDY1...
WUUS02 PTSDY2...WUUS03 PTSDY3. THE INCLUSION OF POINTS
IN THIS DISCUSSION WILL BE DISCONTINUED AFTER THE 2005
CONVECTIVE SEASON. A PUBLIC NOTIFICATION STATEMENT (PNS)
WILL PROVIDE DETAILS ON THE TRANSITION.

CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0100Z

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 2431
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0132 PM CST TUE NOV 15 2005

AREAS AFFECTED...SRN IL...CNTRL/SRN IND...WCNTRL/SWRN OH...NWRN
KY...NWRN TN

CONCERNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL

VALID 151932Z - 152100Z

THERE WILL BE A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TORNADOES ACROSS THE OH
VLY REGION FROM SRN IL/NWRN TN EWD INTO CNTRL/SRN IND... WCNTRL/SWRN
OH AND NWRN KY. TORNADO WATCH WILL BE NEEDED DOWNSTREAM OF WWS
865/866 BY 21Z.

A 999 MB LOW WAS LOCATED JUST NE OF KSTL AT 19Z. THE WARM FRONT HAS
JUMPED TO THE I-70 CORRIDOR IN INDIANA AND IS MOVING INTO WCNTRL OH
ATTM. BOUNDARY LAYER HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE ALONG/S OF
THE FRONT WITH MUCAPE OF 1000-2000 J/KG NOSING NWD INTO THE OH/TN
VLYS. PRESSURE FALLS HAVE ALSO BEEN INCREASING WITHIN THE WARM
SECTOR ACROSS THE OH VLY.

PRE-FRONTAL BAND OF TSTMS INTENSIFIED FROM SRN IL INTO WRN TN AS IT
MOVED INTO THE INSTABILITY AXIS WITH NUMEROUS DISCRETE SUPERCELLS
NOTED. OVERLAY OF 18Z RAOB DATA AND RUC ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE
STRONGEST CROSS-OVER BETWEEN SLY H85 WINDS AND THE WSWLY H5 WINDS
EXISTS ACROSS SRN IND/NWRN KY/SWRN OH AT MID-AFTN. LATEST VWP FROM
PAH/EVANSVILLE/WILMINGTON OHIO SHOWS IMPRESSIVE LOW-LEVEL SHEAR
PROFILES /0-1KM SHEAR 35+ KTS/ AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW BACKS
WITHIN SERN QUADRANT OF THE SFC LOW/PRESSURE FALL AXIS. DISCRETE
SUPERCELLS AND MIXED MODES OF LINE SEGMENTS/ DISCRETE CELLS WILL
REMAIN LIKELY DOWNSTREAM INTO SRN IND...NWRN KY...WRN TN AND
SWRN/WCNTRL OH WITH A HIGH PROBABILITY OF STRONG TORNADOES AND
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.

..RACY.. 11/15/2005

ATTN...WFO...ILN...LMK...IWX...OHX...IND...PAH...I LX...MEG...LSX...

38558996 40028708 40408473 40348310 39938280 39028337
37958471 35918786 35958934 37258918

SEL8

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 868...CORRECTED
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
315 PM EST TUE NOV 15 2005

CORRECTED FOR ADDITION OF PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS WORDING

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA
CENTRAL KENTUCKY
WESTERN OHIO

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 315 PM UNTIL
1000 PM EST.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES
EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTH OF MUNCIE INDIANA TO
25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF BOWLING GREEN KENTUCKY. FOR A
COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 864...WW 865...WW 866...WW
867...

DISCUSSION...LINE OF TORNADIC SUPERCELLS OVER WESTERN IND AND
WESTERN KY WILL TRACK EASTWARD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
TOWARDS WESTERN OH. VERY STRONG LOW LEVEL AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR
PROFILES AND SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY WILL POSE A RISK OF SIGNIFICANT
TORNADOES AND DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS THIS REGION.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24045.

...HART

Updated: 5:21 PM GMT on November 15, 2011

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Storm Chase 2011 Prep.

Posted by: tornadodude, 7:52 PM GMT on November 09, 2010

Here is what I'd like to have done/acquire by the end of winter: 1. Replace the front windshield and tires on the van2. Some type of hail protection for the windshield3. Get mobile broadband service, booster antenna, and maybe even a router for that.4. Bolt my laptop stand to the floor between the driver and passenger seat5. buy another cot for whomever I take storm chasing with me6. GRLEVEL2 program7. Microsoft Streets and Trips 2011 with GPS attachment8. Possibly ...

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Snowy and Severe Weather

Posted by: tornadodude, 2:10 AM GMT on November 08, 2010

As the weekend draws to a close, we look ahead to what this week has in store.The Northeast will have a nor'easter to deal with as a low forms off the east coast and moves along the coast. This low will tap some of the moisture from former Hurricane Tomas, and will dump some torrential rains in parts of the Northeast, including Maine, where 2-5 inches can be expected. However, this will not be an all rain event, as cool air on the backside of this system will help s...

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Super Bowl in One Week. Colts Vs. Saints

Posted by: tornadodude, 7:57 PM GMT on January 31, 2010

As I'm sure you all are well aware of, the Super Bowl is next week!! The perennial Super Bowl contender Indianapolis Colts are taking on the first time Super Bowl contenders, New Orleans Saints!!Now here is a little history. Before next Sunday, the Colts have been to the Super Bowl three other times. Each time in Miami. They have one two of their 3 Super Bowls. The Saints have never been to a Super Bowl. They have been to two NFC Championship games, both of those i...

Updated: 6:29 PM GMT on February 03, 2010

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Purdue and Portlight

Posted by: tornadodude, 6:32 PM GMT on January 19, 2010

Hey Everyone, Currently I am working on raising donations for Portlight at Purdue, and I have already acquired some clothes. I am working on setting up a couple of stations in various academic buildings with donation boxes for professors and students to place their donations in. I have been in contact with a few professors and they are willing to chip in to help get this going. It is very encouraging to have the support of them. I am also working with m...

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